Player Analysis: Douglas Luiz

After being relegated for the first time in 29 years, Aston Villa spent three years in England's second tier before winning the Championship play-off against Derby County and booking their ticket to the Premier League. Eager to avoid the mistakes of 2015/16, Villa spent nearly £140 million on transfers as they looked to reinforce their squad ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.

From that blockbuster transfer spree, it's been a mixed bag of new recruits. Wesley Moraes, who joined from Club Brugge for a club record fee of £22 million, has been sidelined since New Year's Day after suffering a cruciate ligament injury against Burnley. Marvelous Nakamba has struggled to convince after joining from Club Brugge for £13 million, having played just 13 minutes in the Premier League this campaign. On the other hand, Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings have formed a center back pairing that continues to improve since their arrivals from Brentford and Bournemouth last summer.

One player who has been worth the investment is Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian originally landed in England in 2017, after an impressive run of performances for Vasco da Gama earned him a £10.7 million move to Manchester City. Unable to secure a work permit, he was immediately loaned out to City's sister club Girona, where he would start just one match all season before returning to City the following summer.

Despite his shaky start to life in Europe, City manager Pep Guardiola remained determined to utilize him in his squad and City applied for a work permit based on "outstanding talent," even soliciting videos of support from Brazil manager Tite and current Arsenal technical director Edu. The Home Office rejected their appeal, and Luiz was loaned out to Girona again. "I accept the rules but I don’t understand them. Anyone in the world should be able to work where he wants," lamented Guardiola.